Swedish climate academic Martin Hultman was in Cambridge on Saturday 30th September and Sunday 1st October, during which time we had an informal discussion and a walk along the river Cam. Martin was also interviewed by the Cambridge Independent in a piece: Masculinity 'weaponised' by the far right says Swedish academic ahead of Cambridge talk.
Friends of the Cam campaign for an unpolluted river, against over-abstraction from it, and the unsustainable growth in buildings and infrastructure that impact on both. Designating short stretches of rivers may lead to some very limited local improvement of water quality, at the expense of water quality elsewhere. Friends of the Cam opposed the DBA application in the consultation for reasons given below.
To an audience of between four and five hundred people, we rededicated the rights of the river Cam and its tributaries, on Jesus Green on Midsummer's Eve. On a sunny evening, we heard wonderful singers, musicians, and campaigners, including the fight to protect Honey Hill and the Wensum Link in Norwich, St Matthews Piece and St Thomas Park in Cambridge, and the indigenous battle to protect nature in Ecuador. Performers included Lefty Men Sing, Lila Shaw-Mitchell.
Cambridge City Planning Committee turned down the application by Queens College for a new development of student housing, which would have involved the demolition of existing student housing and a recently constructed nursery. Friends of the Cam was one of the local groups, and 2000 signatories to a petition, which opposed its construction based on the likely disruption to Paradise Nature Reserve, including its rare biodiversity and valuable wetland. FotC steering group member Jean Glasberg was a key opponent of the scheme, as a member of Friends of Paradise Nature Reserve.
30 March 2023, 6.30-pm. St Philips Church Centre, Mill Road, Cambridge. Booking (and directions) at Eventbrite here
Bill McGuire talks about the magnitude of the climate emergency facing us and what we can do about this, based on his latest book Hothouse Earth. Cambridge is located in one of the most vulnerable parts of the UK - its hottest, most low-lying, and most drought prone region - and yet those who govern us, invest in and plan for the area fail to address this.
The latest Cam Valley Forum newsletter draws attention to pollution in the Cam. In its response to the Anglian Water DWMP Consultation, CVF has established elevated counts of indicator bacteria suggesting microbial faecal source material pollution. During data collection untreated sewage was witnessed being discharged into the Cam. The Citizen Science project collected samples from 47 sites over 16 parishes on 7 occasions over a period of 16 months, which were analysed at a specialist laboratory.
Liz Cotton from Save Honey Hill brought her brilliant show to the Cambridge Junction, where it played to a capacity audience - Freinds of the Cam got several mentions! There are plans for a repeat performance in March, on the larger stage. We'll post further information in trhe new year.
Lisa Foster, a Partner with Richard Buxton Solicitors, offered unique insights into post-Brexit legislation, specifically the The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, and the Environment Act (EA)2021, and what these mean for those involved in environmental activism and campaigning. A recording of her talk and the Q&A can be found on Friends of the Cam YouTube channel here.